O RELATION OF BIEDS TO COTTON BOLL WEEVIL. 



SUMMARY OF RESULTS. 



As a result of investigations carried on intermittently during five 

 seasons, 43 species of our native birds have been found to feed on the 

 weevil, as follows: 



Upland plover. Lark sparrow. 



Killdeer. White-throated sparrow. 



Quail. Field sparrow. 



Nighthawk. Towhee. 



Seissor-tailed flycatcher. Cardinal. 



Kingbird. Pyrrhuloxia. 



Crested flycatcher. Painted bunting. • 



Phoebe. Dickcissel. 



Olive-sided flycatcher. Purple martin. 



Alder flycatcher. Cliff swallow. 



Least flycatcher. Bank swallow. 



Cowbird. Barn swallow. 



Red-winged blackbird. V\ hite-ruinped shrike. 



Meadow lark. Yellow warbler. 



Western meadow lark. Yellow-breasted chat. 



Orchard oriole. American pipit. 



Baltimore oriole. Mockingbird. 



Bullock oriole. Brown thrasher. 



Brewer blackbird. Carolina wren. 



Bronzed grackle. Tufted titmouse. 



Great-tailed grackle. Black-crested titmouse. 

 Savanna sparrow. 



Twenty-three of the foregoing species feed on the weevil prin- 

 cipally in summer and 20 species principally in winter. The greatest 

 destruction of weevils in summer is wrought by swallows and 

 orioles ; in winter, by blackbirds and meadow larks. It is not to be 

 supposed that the foregoing list includes all the birds which feed 

 upon the boll weevil. Further investigation will doubtless add a 

 number of species to the list and will show that birds which ordi- 

 narily eat but few weevils will, under certain conditions, destroy 

 a good many. The funds at the command of the Biological Survey 

 for this investigation have been very limited, but it is hoped that 

 means will be forthcoming not only for continuing the work, but 

 for widening its scope so as to include the regions recently invaded 

 by the boll weevil. 



RECOMMENDATIONS. 

 LEGISLATION NEEDED. 



In order to increase the number of useful birds in a given region 

 little need be done in most cases except to protect them from their 

 enemies, chief of which is man. 



"While most insectivorous birds are adequately j:>rotected under the 



